Selectors Defend Choice Of Team

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30680, 20 February 1965, Page 11

Selectors Defend Choice Of Team

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 19. The Auckland Wilding Shield team selectors—Messrs J. E. Robson, A. S. Burns and G. Johns—said today that the performances of all likely candidates were taken into account before the selection committee chose the team.

In an official statement issued today the three-man selection panel expressed concern over criticism levelled at it by the Parnell club. The statement, released by Mr Burns, says: "The selection committee is very disappointed that Parnell, , the oldest established club, has seen fit to give premature publicity to its protest to the selection of the Auckland Wilding Shield team in its defence match against Wellington on March 6 and 7 and to its suggestion that the selected players should be subject to further challenges after selection.

“They are concerned that apparently the Parnell players have permitted themselves to be associated with such action. “The claims for selection of Simmonds and Halligan were not ignored and they were fully considered along with players who came dose

to selection, namely Becroft, Wong, Woolf, Fergerson and others.

"Every performance of likely candidates throughout the season was noted and these supplied ample information on which to base a sound selection. “The selection committee felt that it was wrong in principle that any person selected for a match should, after selection, be subject to challenge.”

Crookenden Loses

(N.Z; Press Ann?— Copyright) SALISBURY, February 19. L S. Crookenden, of New Zealand, and R. Krishnan, of India, were beaten in the quarter-finals of the United States indoor tennis championships yesterday. The Spanish pair, M. Santana and J. L. Arilla, beat them, 4-6, 63, 63.